


i'll keep you safe.

by sonsoflucis



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blood, Body Horror, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Other, Parenthood, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, baby!Prompto, papa!Cor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-03-13 09:45:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13567968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonsoflucis/pseuds/sonsoflucis
Summary: au where cor is the lucian who stole prompto from niflheim.





	1. every cradle in the kingdom.

_Bzzt. “_ Cor, do you copy?” 

Cor shook his head, the static buzzing deep into his ear.  _Curse the damn things._ He touched the earpiece as he crept around another corner. “Copy, over.”

This facility was enormous.  _How am I supposed to find weapons here?_ The mission was simple: get in, find out what these damn Nifs were up to, get the hell out. No casualties. No distractions. Cor stopped behind a vending machine, breath hitching when he heard voices. Two scientists walked out from a side room Cor hadn’t noticed at first. A man and a woman. He listened intently, stock still. 

“I don’t feel comfortable doing this anymore,” the lady scientist sobbed. “I can’t in good conscience continue.” 

The male scientist replied earnestly, “This is our best work yet! We are so close to finalizing Project Deathless!” 

She slammed her clipboard into his chest. “I can’t do this. It was one thing on paper. Numbers, data, DNA, nothing more! But they’re real now! They’re real and we are monsters!” 

“Marie, you’re a scientist, not a moral advisor.” 

She turned heel, taking her glasses off and rubbing her eyes. “Well, maybe I don’t want to  _be_ a scientist anymore. Not like this.” Marie trotted off with the other scientist in pursuit, trying to calm her. 

“Marie, if we don’t finish our work, they will cut our funding and…” his voice trailed off, doors closing behind them. Cor breathed slowly, confusion masking all other emotions on his face.  _What on earth could she be referring to_? 

 _Bzzt. “_ Hey, Cor, where are you right now? Over.” 

Cor winced, still not used to the technology. “Uh, I’m at the… the…” He looked around from his cramped corner behind the vending machine. A sign to his right said “ _Genetics II_ ”. “I’m near some sort of laboratory. Genetics or something. Over.” 

 _Bzzt._ “Copy that, sir. We’re waiting for you on the outside. You only have a few minutes left before the next changing of the guard. Over.” 

“Noted. Over.” 

Cor adjusted his jacket and wiped away sweat gathering on his brow.  _Come on, Leonis, just make a break for it._ He hurriedly made his way to the door the scientists had strolled out of, pleading inwardly that he wouldn’t need a keycard or something-

“Shit.” 

The first door opened no problem, but the next one featured a small keypad with a single, blinking red light, taunting him. “You’re kidding me…” Cor leaned into the tiny window, trying not to fog up the glass, and squinted. Inside the cavernous room were dozens of tables with glass or plastic bubbles over them, like a dome. Each one was connected to a cluster of wires and-

“A heart monitor?” Cor whispered, wiping the foggy window. There was a chill seeping out from under the door, one that rattled his very bones. Cor looked back at the keypad and groaned lowly as he typed in random numbers. The keypad pinged a solitary negative beep each time, Cor’s frustration mounting. “I didn’t come all this way to be stopped by a stupid-” 

 _Ding._ The red light changed to green and the door lurched open, a wave of dense cold spilling out around the mercenary’s feet. “No way. No way!” he laughed, scratching the back of his head. “I have got to remember to tell Regis about this…” Pure dumb luck got him in and he couldn’t be more proud of himself.  _Okay, focus, Cor._

He stepped lightly into the room, adjusting to the chill and emptiness quickly. The domes over the small tables on wheels were coated in a thin sheet of frost and the heart monitors were all very much inactive, save for a slow, monotonous beep every few seconds.  _Whatever is in there is hibernating or something. …or dying._ Cor pressed on his earpiece once more. 

“Cor here. I am in a room filled with… medical equipment. I’ll get back to you ASAP. Over.” 

No one replied. Probably for the best. His ear was still ringing from the last communication. Cor walked to the center of the room and looked straight up. The ceiling resembled a dark void, it was so far away.  _Not dramatic at all_. He turned back to the domes and cautiously wiped away the frost. Inside was a blinding, stark white device, in the shape of half of a hollowed egg shell. And in that was-

“…a baby.” Cor blinked a few times, unsure he had seen it. But no, there it was. The tiniest baby with wires coming from its head, right arm, and stomach, attached to sticky pads. It looked to be asleep, shallow breaths the only thing alluding to this room not being a mass graveyard. The baby had no life behind its flesh. Its skin was tinted grey and it barely stirred when Cor touched the dome gingerly. “What are they doing here…” 

Cor walked to the next dome, wiped it off, and saw another baby. Same grey skin, same erratic heartbeat. Another dome. Another. He grew frantic, louder, tears welling up and trickling down his face slowly in the cold, cold room. He got to one dome and the veins of the child inside were a dark violet, spreading on its face. “No. What. What is this place? They’re children. They’re…” He stopped, hands on his knees and dry heaved, holding in ragged sobs. His body convulsed while his mind raced.  _Did they kidnap them? Are they dead? Are they… human?_

He gathered himself, clearing his throat and stepped toward another dome. His gloved hand brushed away the frost and he cringed before looking inside. But this baby… wasn’t the same. “You’re… awake.” The child’s heart monitor was still slow, but the heartbeats were closer together. It sat in its shell, opening and closing its hand lazily, fighting sleep. And its skin was alive, pink and warm. Cor smiled, the tears replenished, and pressed his hands against the glass. The baby opened its eyes, just a bit, and looked up at him.  _Its eyes are so blue…_

His eyes met the baby’s and he felt an overwhelming need to protect it, his paternal side taking over completely. Cor looked around the dome for some sort of opening, a lock, an opening mechanism, but there wasn’t anything to be found. The baby stirred more, stretching. 

“It’s like the sun.” From its peach fuzz blonde hair to the way it radiated warmth, the baby encompassed all elements of our beloved sun. The sun kept us safe. The sun kept the daemons at bay. The sun… Cor crashed through the domes and fell upon a nearby desk, tearing through the papers and binders, searching for a key. His eyes locked onto a folder labeled  **Project Deathless Termination Contract**. He skimmed the first few pages. 

“Unstable gene splicing… Subjects weakwilled, no substantial progress, growth halted.” He licked his fingers and turned the pages quickly, muttering to himself. “Subjects… to be terminated.” He dropped the folder, looking at the sea of frosted domes, and inhaled sharply. They were going to kill them all. 

“No… no no no. No.” Cor walked hastily back to the sun child and touched the glass softly. The baby was asleep again, hands fisted around the cord in its stomach. The man sighed deeply. “Pull yourself together.” 

 _Bzzt. “_ Cor, location, guards will be headed your way any minute and we can’t wait forever. Over.” 

“I found something. Children. Dozens of them…” 

“What? Cor, get out of there. You don’t have time. Over.” 

“Affirmative. I… I’m headed to you. …over.” 

Cor looked back at the baby and checked once more for an opening. Still nothing. The glass was fogging back up and he saw the baby stir, its bottom lip quivering.  _I can’t just leave him… Yes you can. You’re not here for him. You need to leave before this whole mission is compromised. But…_ He growled to himself, hands massaging his temples.  _Cor, you absolute fool._  

He ripped his jacket sleeve off and wound it around his hand, testing its thickness. “Hold on, buddy,” he whispered, before punching the glass as hard as he could, until hairline cracks spiderwebbed from the site of impact. His shoulder burned, he was too rough, there was no control in his wild swinging. Cor reared back, one last time, noting the baby looking up at him with wide eyes, and smashed the glass, the sounds of it tinkling onto the ground like falling rain. The room turned red and the baby wiggled as Cor brushed glass off of it, alarms ringing to signal a disturbance. “Come here, little one, I’ve got you.” 

Cor peeled the wires off and gently picked the baby up, holding him to his chest. “A boy, huh? A little boy…” The baby cooed softly, stretching and nuzzling his face into Cor’s shirt. He was warm and the baby craved it, his tiny hand gripping the shirt tightly. Cor smiled, taking his jacket off entirely, swapping the baby between arms, and swaddled him as best he could. His chubby face looked up at Cor, yawning widely, before settling into his new living conditions. The man took a gloved finger between his teeth and pulled the glove off before shakily swiping his thumb over the baby’s face. “Look at you,” he breathed, soaking in the feeling of the almost too soft infant. The alarms grew louder and Cor set to work getting out, his arm protecting his treasure as he blew through the doors and sprinted down the hall. 

He rounded a corner and saw armed guards marching up the corridor and dove behind a desk. The Magitek troops strolled past, making a beeline for the infant room. Cor squeezed the baby, covering his face with his neck, and waited for them to pass.  _Please don’t cry, please don’t cry, please don’t cry._

_Bzzt._

**NO.**

“Cor, get out of there, you hear me! COR!” The baby whimpered, flinching at the static buzz and Cor heard the metallic shriek of the soldiers stopping to listen before the desk was lifted and thrown into the wall. Cor leaped up, cradling the wailing child, and kicked the gun pointed directly at him from the soldier’s grasp. The other two lunged at him, but he ducked between and ran for his life. Bullets whizzed past his face and muffled sobs from Cor’s precious cargo sent him into a rage.  _How could they do this!?_

These Niflheim abominations were raising pigs for slaughter. And for what?! For land, for greed, for money, for power. All things Cor has seen swept away by one act of fate, one mistake, one too many grabs for control. He slid around a corner, boots squeaking, catching himself before he fell. “S-shhh, little one, shhh,” he whispered loudly, barely making it past another batch of troops before they locked on. Alarms began ringing throughout the complex, metal doors coming down to seal each and every room. Cor cursed to himself, picking up the pace, the distant clanging of Magitek soldiers thundering behind him. The baby blubbered on, the alarms doing nothing to help soothe him.

Searing pain tore through Cor as a bullet struck his side. He collapsed, minding the baby, and swore. Nothing important had been struck, but damned if it didn’t slow him down. Cor clutched the wound and stood shakily, intently focused on escape. A lone scientist moved out of his way, calling for help frantically. 

 _Bzzt._ “Cor! You need to get the hell outta there! We are leaving! Magitek troops are swarming!”

“I’m coming! Just give me a minute!”

“No, we gotta go! Rendezvous at camp!”

“Wait for me!” Cor bellowed, punching a soldier in the face and continuing his breakneck stride. 

“May the Six be with you, Leonis.” 

Cor shouted into the earpiece, but they were long gone. “No! No! Wait for me! I have a baby!  _I have a baby!”_ He was back in familiar territory, the way he had entered was close. Just a little further. Doors shut around him, each one a death sentence. “Come on, come onnn,” he roared, seeing the exit down the last monochrome hallway. It hadn’t shut yet, miracle upon miracles, and Cor raised his arms, shielding the infant from the forthcoming impact. Gunfire rained down the corridor. Cor saw red and it wasn’t from the alarms. With every bit of strength he could muster, he broke through the door, falling face first into the blizzard outside. The last metal shutters came down, sealing in the troops who insisted on shooting the door until they ran out of ammo. Cor shook, blood from his side dripping into the virgin snow. Faint sounds of radio talk carried on the wind from the army searching for the intruders. He bit back a yell and rested on his knees, peeling his jacket away from the baby’s face. His bright blue eyes peered back, red-rimmed and puffy from crying. Cor leaned down and kissed his forehead, staring out into the storm. The baby wriggled free of the jacket and grabbed at Cor’s chin, the smallest of fingernails scraping his stubble. 

“H-hey, little guy,” Cor murmured, hoisting him closer to his face. “Hey…” Sun child shot back a wide grin, sniffling. “I’ve got ya…” 

Cor got back on his feet, grimacing, and began a slow trudge down the mountainside. “I’ll keep you safe, little one. Shhhh. I’ve got ya, daddy’s got ya.” Soldiers called out to one another, still actively searching for Cor and his stowaway. The two of them disappeared into the flurry of snow, Cor crooning, a look of steely determination in his eyes. 


	2. in the wee hours of morning.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> after rescuing prompto as an infant from niflheim, cor now takes on the long, arduous journey of parenthood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short + to the point.   
> thanks for sticking around.

Cor drags his hands down his face, rubbing the drowsiness from his eyes as he rests his elbows on his knees. This is the position of a defeated man, slouched over on the edge of an unkempt bed while a baby wails in the other room. Sleep-heavy eyes stare blankly at the wall, his pulse throbbing in his head as the cries grow louder, more desperate and shrill. Running his fingers through his hair, he chastises himself for letting it grow out so much, how lax he has become with his daily routine. Each time the clock ticks, his jaw clenches tighter, the baby shrieking for him in the other room.

  
He glances over at the bottle of antibiotics he has only managed to make him take once in the week he is supposed to have been on them, the cap sticky with remnants of medicine he refused, spilled all over Cor's uniform. He notices the stack of bills from the doctor, strewn haphazardly across the dresser, the myriad of pacifiers and teething rings left like trash after the baby's marvelous scrutiny. And lastly, his eyes fall upon the bright neon red of his clock, an unforgiving glow reminding him of the days of sleep he has missed, the countless workplace tardies and unmanageable deadlines while he cared for a sickly youth with an enormous chip on his shoulder.

  
Cor unties and reties the strings on his pajama bottoms, his phone alarm vibrating on the hard surface of the nightstand. "Shut up," he growls softly, shoving it under his pillow. The baby calls out for him, standing in his crib as he tries to catch his breath between sobs. Weeks of this. Of calm days that lead to troubled nights, to tossing and turning and bottles heating in a pot and the same bottle being thrown onto the floor with a whine.

  
"Just be quiet," he groans in frustration, clapping his hands over his ears. "Please, god, just shut _up_ , Prompto."

  
But the child persists, his little cheeks tearstained as he chokes out another cry. Finally, Cor lurches towards the little boy's bedroom or, rather, the living room he has deemed a makeshift bedroom. Stepping over toys and clothes, over books and old takeout containers, he grabs the side of the crib firmly.

  
"Just be quiet!" he yells back at Prompto, his tired eyes angry and redrimmed. " _Please_! Let me _fucking_ sleep!"

  
Prompto's bottom lip trembles as he begins crying once more, this time out of fear, out of misunderstanding. His onesie has fallen off his shoulder, the buttons around his legs unsnapped. Numerous brightly colored blankets tossed onto the floor, his favorite catoblepas plush clutched in his tiny fist, he reaches for Cor, toddling over with a whimper. Reaching for him, he sobs, chest heaving as he tries to communicate his feelings, but only manages to upset Cor even more.

  
"No! Sleep! You need to sleep in your own bed! I can't do this... I can't _do_ this! I can't!" Cor backs away, shaking his head, fisting the hem of his shirt as he twists it around his fingers. "Why can't you just sleep!? Why won't you let _me_ sleep!? Huh!? I should never have done this. They were right. What do I know about kids? _Nothing_. Nothing, nothing. nothing-"

  
The baby's frantic cries interrupt his tangent, setting off a spark of unintended, sleep deprived rage. He whips around, storming back to the side of the crib. "Lay down! Just lay down, Prompto!" he bellows. "Go to _bed_!"

  
Prompto sniffles, plopping down onto his chubby legs, his toy safeguarded in his arms. With wide, violet-hued eyes, he stares up at Cor in all his built up irritability with the trials and tribulations of a fatherhood he never expected. And he drops his stuffed animal, reaching up with both small hands.

  
"Daddy, peez," he whimpers, opening and closing his fists as tears run down his cheeks. "Up, daddy..."

  
Cor stops, his hard gaze falling on the child. Guilt and regret wash over him in a cold, stomach-twisting wave as he scoops Prompto up, tucking his head under his chin. "Fuck, I'm sorry," he croons, kissing his temple, rocking him in his arms stiffly. "I'm sorry. I'm here. Daddy's here."

  
Grabbing the catoblepas, he carefully tiptoes back to his bedroom, Prompto clinging to his shirt, his little body trembling with too many feelings as he relaxes in Cor's arms. Curling up with him on the bed, he smoothes Prompto's light blond locks between his fingers, tucking them behind his ear as the baby snuggles into the curve of his body under the thick quilt.

  
"Daddy's so sorry, Prom," he breathes, wiping his face on his arm.

  
Prompto suckles on Cor's finger as he drifts off, exhausted by his frantic desperation, his toy forgotten the moment he was able to be close to Cor. The man watches the streetlights of Insomnia begin to shut off, the faint murkiness of the sky heralding an approaching sun. But none of it matters. Not the lack of sleep, the pediatrician bills, the long fights to get him into clean clothes, the broken glassware and torn up books. None of it holds a candle to the soft sounds of Prompto sleeping soundly in a bed Cor has given up fighting ownership over. None of it matters as long as this immaculate, amazing child is here, breathing quietly in his arms.

  
"I just feel so alone sometimes," he whispers. "But it isn't your fault. None of this is."

  
He kisses his forehead gently, brushing a drying tear off his flushed cheek. "Daddy won't let anything ever hurt you, Prom Not even me," he murmurs, his own eyelids weighed down by the need for sleep. The sun rises, a golden thickness blanketing them as they snooze the day away, Cor's alarm left to vibrate uselessly under the pillow, both soldier and child comforted by the warm, still presence of the other. And as terrible as the circumstances of his birth were, Prompto filled a void in Cor Leonis he never realized was there. A hollowness dissipating into a flood of white light with every single laugh to bubble out of his throat. And for all the ways Cor rescued Prompto, this child of radiating light manages to save him in return, ground him, provide at least one person in this big, scary world who he can come home to. Who needs him.

  
May the gods show mercy to the fool who comes between Cor and his son.


	3. a fissure forms.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sometimes it doesn't matter how much you love someone. the universe has other plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for yet another short chapter. i just don't want to disrespect you all by adding junk that my heart isn't in. much love.

"You knew this day was coming, Leonis."

  
"It's too soon. He hasn't even started school yet," he murmurs, holding Prompto to his chest a bit tighter.

  
Clarus frowns, standing off to the side as the social worker waves to the approaching vehicle. "His foster parents are here, Cor," she says again, reaching out for the child.

  
"Then send them away," he snaps, his voice bolder than the blatant fear in his eyes. "Send them away. I've taken care of him for this long. I can manage it. I can."

"Cor..."

  
"Please, he's all I have. I risked everything to save him. He knows me. He _trusts_ me."

  
Clarus walks up beside him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "These people will love him," he says softly as a man and woman step out of the car. They seem to be nice enough, dressed in warm colors as they nervously peer around the group of people to catch a glimpse of Prompto. The tiny blond watches everyone around them warily, clutching Cor's shirt tightly. His bright eyes are alert, taking in the tense energy and fading sun as evening closes over Lucis. He turns his gaze to Cor, touching his stubbled jaw with his small, soft hand. Cor places his large, tan hand over Prompto's, kissing his forehead gently.

  
"They won't love him the way he needs to be loved. They won't understand him."

  
"You have duties to the crown," the shield whispers, looking at Prompto sadly. He understands the pain Cor is feeling, being split between family and responsibility. Clarus wasn't even there for Gladio's birth, missed his first steps, his first word, which was not any form of dad. If he could grab this little boy and drag Cor away from the whole situation, he would. Give them the chance he never had. But he can't. He shouldn't. 

"...he's my son," Cor murmurs with a trembling lip, smoothing Prompto's hair down and out of his wide, violet-blue eyes.

  
"Then give your son a chance at a normal life," the social worker insists with a quiet urgency, taking Prompto from his arms slowly. Prompto whimpers, immediately uncomfortable, squirming in her hands. He holds his arms out to Cor, eyes welling up.

"Daddy..."

  
"He likes chocolate milk... more than regular milk. A-and he _has_ to have his toy catoblepas, Doodles, the one missing a leg, so he can sleep. Oh, and he likes that jazz CD. The one in his diaper bag. He needs it for car rides or he gets antsy. And don't forget his right foot is a bit wider than the left so he needs two different sized shoes." Cor clenches his jaw, trying not to look at him. "Be good, okay, kid? Be good for daddy."

  
"Daddy. _Daddy_!" His cries become more insistent as the woman leads him to the waiting couple, tears slipping down his soft, round cheeks. "I want daddy!"

  
Cor grinds his teeth, fighting the urge to chase after them, to wrench Prompto from the social worker and never look back. Clarus nods for the woman to hand Prompto over to the couple, even as the child thrashes in her grasp despite all of her cooing. "You did the right thing," he murmurs, patting his shoulder.

  
But every time Cor hears the child scream for him, he has a more difficult time choking back tears. "Be good," he whispers, shaking his head, his watery gaze trying to focus on his dusty boots. Prompto doesn't understand. Why is dad crying? Why isn't he coming too? Where are his toys? His car seat? His blanket? He shouts, looking at the new people nervously, their eyes scrutinizing and cold. Cor hears them mumble about the barcode on his arm, the sloppiness of his clothes as they turn to get into the idling car. Something about  _it's a good thing we got approved when we did._  And he snaps.

  
"See?!" he growls, following after them. "They don't get him! They don't understand!"

  
Clarus grabs his arm, dragging him to his chest. "Cor, don't make this harder than it needs to be-"

  
"Let him stay with me, please!" he pleads to the social worker. "I'll be a good dad! I'll give him everything."

  
"Daddy!" Prom shrieks as they lower him into a car seat too unlike the one he is used to.

  
"Please, Clarus! Please!" he cries, reaching out for Prompto as Clarus tries to take him back to his own vehicle.

  
"Insomnia needs you-"

  
" _He_ needs me!"

The shield begins to drag Cor away despite ample protest, the social worker frowning as she writes down a few things on a clipboard. Cor remembers the way Prompto looked in the facility, small and bright and the only good thing to exist in that dreadful place. How fragile he was. The nights upon nights of fevers and antibiotics. Of messy diapers and fatigued trips to the doctor. Prompto is his child as far as he is concerned. Tears streaming, he yanks his arms away from Clarus, running back to the car.

"Prom! Prompto!" They pull away before Cor can reach them, leaving him panting in the settling dust. "I love you! I love you, please don't forget me!" he cries, sobbing. "Prompto, I love you! Prom..."

  
He sinks down to the ground, holding his face in his hands as the others look on, their stomachs twisting with a mixture of guilt and sadness. Clarus kneels beside him after a moment, holding his head to his chest. "...maybe, with their permission, you can see him once he's settled in more. After the hurt has passed," he whispers, pressing his lips to the top of Cor's head.

  
"...it will never not hurt," he breathes, blankly staring out at the disappearing car.


End file.
